Mustad -vs- Tiemco

[geoffvl]

I thought I'd start this up because it causes lots of debate.

I use both because when I started tying I bought all mustad. Now I only buy tiemco mainly because many people on this forum swear by them.

I rarely have prof's problems with the hook snapping when I debarb them. I just have a small pair of curved pliers and they work great. I think using mustad in small hooks size is probably not bad because the small hooks are quite sharp.

But I have a pack of mustad salmon hooks and they aren't very sharp. They are really thick too. I wouldn't buy them again.

I find tmc 100 dry fly hooks bend easy when I tie with them. I've never used and other brand of dry fly hook.

Just my thoughts.

[btree]

I agree there geoffl, I used to use mustad all the time because they are cheaper, and the smaller sizes were certainly sharp enough. I've also never had issues with snapping hooks when de-barbing, and I do find that the dry fly tiemco are a bit more flexible than the mustad.

What tiemco does really well are dry fly hooks! They are much finer and ligher than most or all the mustads I've tried. They also tend to be sharper in medium and large sizes.

Where Mustad really lacks is in the sharpness for larger sizes. I too had a box of 50 2/0 salmon hooks that were so dull I only really use them for intruder bodys. They do sharpen well, but I'd never buy another box of mustad salmon hooks.

I really like the Daiichi hooks as well, the shop I occasionally get supplies at only has Daiichi's.

For those with real big game needs, Gamagatsu's are perhaps the sharpest hooks I've ever stabbed my fingers on- they are deadly. I use big 1/0 and 2/0 Gamas for bull trout flies. I've yet to find Gamas in trout sized hooks, just bait hooks, and large salt water hooks.

Good thread though- Cant wait to see what the jury says in the end!

[tbar24]

for dries and wets i use the mustad mostly just because the quantity and i havent had a snapped hook yet, for steelhead flies i like tiemco and for salmon i dont really care about the size of hook cause generally i want it to sink a bit more so i use mustad for those too, and incase they arent sharpe enough i sharpen alot of them before use
-tyler-

[knotnot]

Hi

I know that Japanese metal work and materials are great quality.
Their understanding of tempering, coatings, composites are second to none or few.
When I debarb hooks or bend for cripples I keep the vise not very tight on the hook for a little give.
I have found some Mustad to be softer and sometimes dull but I have used them as well as Daiichi, TMC, Vision, Gam's.
My

knotnot

[SalaR]

I have to agree with most...when debarbing Tmc hooks do be careful and not crimp too hard or you will cause a micro fracture and the hook will break..For all my personal Salt Water flie patterns I use only Tiemco 9394's...but for some of my freshwater flies,especially for large Salmon I will use a short shank Mustad so that I know they will bend if needed..using a 25lb. test tippet can over stress the rod,so I prefer to know the hook will bend.
C

[Nuggy]

I use Mustad(non Signature) hooks for almost all my flies, I use them for no other than I`ve just always used them... if that makes any sense.

I`ve never had any problems with Mustads and broken hooks when de-barbing, bending on fish or snags, or staying sharp enough to hook fish...on this point the Mustads take a resharpening nicely.

I am sure Tiemcos are probably a little bit better but I still aim for the Mustads in the fly shop.

Cheers

[flyfishforfun]

I never buy mustads any more- i still have a few boxes of them but rarely use them. The reason- i felt the same as others have said with bigger Mustad hooks- they were obviously not as sharp in larger sizes- often i felt that the tip, around the barb looked out of shape? Hard to explain, but it just didn't look right.

From the larger flies, i figured, well if these are not as sharp, then the quality probably transfers to smaller hooks as well. Maybe that is not true, but confidence is a major part of fly fishing so i want to have faith in the hook. When you have spent all the money on the gear, painstakingly learned then tied the fly you are fishing, taken the time to get to the river and then got that one chance of the day for a good fish, the last thing i want to think is- I wish this was not that cheap hook!

[geoffvl]

I was talking to Phil Rowley friday and asked him what hooks he liked. He told me to look at Mustad's new signature line. Found this review which explains them.

http://globalflyfisher.com/reviews/gear/mustad/

I have one box of Mustad signature C49s. I'm not that good at judging hooks though. Anyone else use them?

[johnk]

Two thumbs up for C49S'. I've tied commercially on them since they first came out. The shape of the hook still provides a wide gap like scud hooks but I believe gives a better silhouette for chironomid patterns. I've caught fish up to 32" on them and have never had them straighten out.
i believe if they made a hybrid between that hook and TMC 2499BL then you would have the perfect chironomid hook.

[professori]

John, I know you tie commercially, so I have to ask, do you use Mustad for the quality, or for the price? If there are mustads out there that measure up to TMC, I'd try them, I just haven't had good esperiences when I have used them.